| F E A T U R E S T H O U G H T S R E V I E W S N E W S e v e n t s d i r e c t o r y | |
By Jeremy Grand The Simpsons family has become one of television's greatest treasures, gracing the screen since the Tracy Ullman Show in the late 1980s, which spawned their own show, becoming an instant phenomenon. After more than 20 years, The Simpsons are still alive and well, and with years and years of anticipation, the famous cartoon family has finally made it to the big screen. It is true that after so many years on television, nearly every possible scenario has been already done, and there couldn't possible be too much more they could do, let alone a storyline that would be fit for the big screen. But going in with the mindset that it will just be a full-length feature episode, the film will be a rare treat for any Simpsons fan. What makes The Simpsons Movie great is not particularly the storyline (which seems fairly typical: Homer, of course, angers the town, angers the family and has to save the day), but the shininess and grandeur of the production. It is obvious that much care has been put into this film, with gorgeous animation and a CGI spruce-up, and its famous satire is definitely way on top of its game. Some things that the television show could not show for censorship reasons are also snuck in for good measure: Otto seen smoking out of a bong, Homer flipping off the entire town, Marge screaming "Goddamnit," and a glimpse of "Bart Junior" (in one of the funnier scenes, Bart skateboards nude down the street, objects constantly precariously placed around his midriff until there are no more objects to hide his cartoon ding-a-ling). The story goes as such: The town attempts to clean up Lake Springfield, and they do it successfully. After Homer obtains a new pet pig, its dung (as well as his own) is kept in a silo in the Simpsons' backyard. After nagging from Marge to dump the waste (safely, of course), he does so, but takes the quick way out by dumping it into the newly cleaned lake. The dumping causes animal mutations, which are discovered by the EPA, which subsequently goes to President Schwarzenegger, who inadvertently decides on a plan to cover the entire town of Springfield in an impenetrable glass dome. The town discovers it was all Homer's doing, so the family is run out of town through a sandbox sinkhole escape discovered by Maggie (and seen by no one else). The family winds up fleeing to Alaska after being hunted by the EPA, Marge and the children are once again angered by Homer's stubbornness and thoughtless behavior, and they return back to an utterly disheveled Springfield, which, unbeknownst to the town, is about to get wiped off the face of the planet by the government. And of course it is left to Homer to save the day. As a whole, it just seemed like a long and spiffy episode. The film most definitely had its finer moments (Homer and Marge's lovemaking preparation scene, the brief FOX advertisement at the bottom of the screen, the Inuit woman with the directional boobs), but that is what everyone pretty much expected from a show that has seen nearly everything. The Simpsons Movie is definitely worth seeing for its boldness and beauty, but as Homer quotes in the beginning of the film, "Why would I want to pay for something that I can see on TV for free?" |
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